Professor Thomas Reeve Kaiser, 1924-1998

A reception to celebrate the life and work of Professor Tom Kaiser was
held on Friday 4 December 1998 at the University of Sheffield. It was
attended by members of the Kaiser family, family friends, representatives
of staff, past and present, from the Department of Physics and Astronomy,
representatives from the University of Sheffield Lacrosse Club,
together with former research students and colleagues from the radio
astronomy community at BAS, Jodrell Bank and universities in this country
and abroad.

The following is a transcript of the presentations given and read out
by friends and colleagues.

Dr David Hughes, University of Sheffield led the tributes.

We are here to-day to commemorate the life of Tom, and I am going to
call him Tom, because everybody did. Tom was my first boss, and he
was the man who converted me from being a Solar Astronomer to a Cosmic
Dust man and I have been forever grateful for that, and needless to say
even though he did convert me from one field of Astronomy to another,
he didn't manage to convert me from being a Conservative into a .....

When it comes to Tom I can seriously say that he was a genius. You know
how in science you meets lots and lots of people, but with Tom it was
special, I have just never been in the company of somebody who had such
an agile and active mind, and this was a great honour. He was one of
the very small band of people who have written research papers that I
would literally have died to write. And Tom's was on radio echo studies
of meteors and came out in Phil Mag Supplement 2 Vol 2 Oct 1953. It
is one those wonderful 'terminal' research papers because in essence,
nobody has ever written about radio echoes from meteors since. Tom wrote
the paper, he got it right, and the subject was finished. It is there
in the references of all subsequent papers.

Now I come from North Nottinghamshire, I haven't travelled a great
distance in my life, I have moved 16 miles west, and in Nottinghamshire
we would have said that Tom was a man with 'no side'. I think you will
all appreciate this, because we all knew Tom - what you saw was what
there was. He was as open as the day was long, he never said anything
behind your back. He said many things to your face, but not behind your
back. You knew where you were with Tom Kaiser. If you had done something
wrong - and who hadn't? - you were told about it and it was impressed
upon you that you should go away and try not to do these things wrong
again. This happened in many cases. Tom never wrote anonymous references
for people. If you asked Tom for a reference he would give you a copy of
it before sending it off. You might read the copy and never ask him for a
reference again, but you knew where you were, and with all the research
papers that he had to referee, and we all have these research papers,
Tom never responded to any request without sending the author a letter
and signing it. I have tried very hard to do that ever since.

I will always remember the stories about Tom. We all know so many stories
about Tom. I am going to tell you only one or two if I may. We were
in Czechoslovakia, and there was a very snooty Czechoslovak astronomer
talking to us. He turned to Tom and said "Ah, I see
you have brought your assistant", and Tom said "Oh no, this is a
colleague". And there I was at my first conference, just come out of
Oxford, green as you could be, and there was Tom calling me a colleague,
and this of course meant a huge deal. We have all, or many of us have,
spent many happy nights with Tom up at the observatory, up at Bradfield
site and he always impressed upon me as a sort of 'can do' person. You
can imagine the site, you can see pictures of it here in this room, racks
and racks of crude electronics that were so advanced that everything
had to be made here in Sheffield and quite often it went wrong. But
you knew that if Tom was with you, everything would be done to get it
going right and he would get the whole group searching and searching
to get this stuff going right, so that we could observe meteors like
the Quadrantids, Perseids and Geminids. Very very happy days. I can
always remember when he used to come up to Bradfield and I had actually
got things going right. You could always tell at the site when it was
working because it had this wonderful hum and Tom would look in and say
"Everything OK?" and you would say "Yes" and he would hold his hand up,
and touch the aerial wires and sparks would fly off them and he would
stand there going Brrrrr... "Oh yes its doing well this". Marvelous.

I always remember Tom was never happier than when he was telling a
good story. He always used to have this lovely tale about when he was
deported from America because his plane had been forced to land at
Miami and the whole group had been placed in the wrong lounge at the
airport. He was then deported to the West Indies. This always reminds
me of the time I was with him in Czechoslovakia - we had that lovely
old Cortina of Tom's and we had driven all the way from Sheffield, and
because we were convinced that in Czechoslovakia they only had 'one star'
petrol, Tom had decided to take two jerrycans of five star in the back in
case we ran out, but of course we didn't. But in the middle of nowhere
there was this poor Slovak beside the road with a German car clearly
run out of petrol, we screamed to a halt, poured a jerry-can of five
star into this car, shook him by the hand, and then went zooming off-
I have no idea what it did to the car, but this was typical of Tom,
very very generous. I can remember also, one of his stories completely
failing. We were coming back from this conference and we had been all
over the place, so he had written very carefully a list of what he had
bought and he got to Dover and handed this list to the Customs man. The
Customs man just read it and said "Ah yes well, there is nothing there
Professor Kaiser that this Government is worried about. Thank you very
much, have a safe journey". And you could see Tom's face drop, because
the chance of a good story had just disappeared.

All I can really say is that Tom was one of the fairest and most
considerate men that I have met and I know this might go against the
grain a bit because Tom was a good Communist until Hungary, but I must
say that to me, Tom was the nearest person I have come across in my life
who was a good Christian.

I would now like to make two brief announcements and then read some of the
comments that have been sent to us by people who cannot be here to-day.

Firstly I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the fund
that we have set up for Tom. This is standing at the moment at £1,500 and
is going to provide one of the most munificent prizes in the Department
of Physics and Astronomy and we are all very grateful for your help. Most
of you know that in 1973 Tom introduced Astronomy to the University of
Sheffield and we became one of the first universities in the country
offering dual degrees in Astronomy and Physics, Astronomy and Maths and
Astronomy and Chemistry. Now everyone seems to have followed on and hardly
a year goes by without you hearing that, for example, only last year
the University of Nottingham employed a whole gang of astronomers to do
likewise, Bristol the year before and every university in the country is
now doing the same thing that Tom started. When it came to Astronomy here
he bought telescopes and the telescope that we now have on the roof of the
Hicks Building is going to be called the Kaiser Observatory in his memory.

Now we have a few of the comments that have come in. You will realise,
of course, that Tom came here from Jodrell Bank and we have been sent
a message from Sir Bernard Lovell.
I am sorry that I cannot attend the reception to celebrate the work and
life of Tom Kaiser, and in sending my apologies I would like to pay a
brief tribute to him. In the difficult years of rebuilding scientific
research in the post-war period it was my good fortune that P M S Blackett
suggested that Tom Kaiser joined the small group at Jodrell Bank. This
was the early period when most of our effort was concentrated on the
development of the radar technique for the observation of meteors. We
were mostly practical observers but Kaiser brought a vital theoretical
insight to bear on the observational results. His 1952 paper (with R L
Closs) on the theory of radio reflections from meteor trails introduced
a new theoretical dimension into our understanding of the processes
involved. This classic 32-page paper will, perhaps, be remembered
as Kaiser's major contribution to the developments at Jodrell during
the few years he was with us. Subsequently he published many further
papers on the meteor phenomenon and extended his earlier theoretical
treatment to the problem of the distribution of meteor magnitudes and
masses. During those years he also became interested in the processes
of the reflection of radio waves from the aurorae. Before Kaiser left
Jodrell the researches had expanded in other directions including the
investigation of the radio waves from the Universe and in all these
topics Kaiser made a major contribution to the discussions.

I am glad that Kaiser carried forward his interests in meteors to
Sheffield, and those of us who knew him at Jodrell Bank followed his
subsequent career with great interest but it is the inspiration of his
presence here that remains prominent in the memory.

Professor Sir Bernard Lovell

As I go through these tributes you will realise what a contribution Tom
Kaiser made to science and that's why it is happy to come back to this
room because four years ago Tom was given the Gold Medal of the Royal
Astronomical Society in this room for that contribution.
I am sorry that
I can't be at the memorial event for Tom Kaiser. He was a great character
and made a lasting impression on everybody who encountered him. During
my time at Sheffield in the mid1970's I spent most of my time trying, and
failing dismally, to keep up with the intellect of Tom Kaiser, the pranks
of Nigel Heard and the French of Ken Bullough. I have not encountered
anything quite like any of these since. At the time I didn't realise
how unusual it is to find somebody with Tom's outstanding intelligence
coupled with a complete absence of intellectual snobbery. He was always
willing to give time to post-graduates and reiterating a conversation
that we had with Tom Kaiser was the main talking point of many a pub
lunch. I seem to remember there being quite a few of those.

Adrian Tatnall - University of Southampton (former research student)

I am very sorry that I will miss this reception. There are many people
in Sheffield who were clearly influenced very strongly by Tom and have
talked to me about his days in the department. Even before I came to
Sheffield, Dick Dalitz, who was a particle theorist at Oxford, and a
fellow Australian, told me that Sheffield was a really interesting place
to come to simply because Tom Kaiser was here.

Gillian Gehring - Head of Department of Physics and Astronomy

I am most grateful both to Tom Kaiser and to Ken Bullough for all the
encouragement and assistance that they gave with my studies of VLF radio
waves. In the early 1970s, together we worked on VLF receivers for Petrel
and Skylark rockets which culminated in the successful P47H launch from
the Outer Hebrides. And in the later 1970s we made goniometer observations
in Alaska and Northern Scandinavia - I am delighted that such research
is continuing at Halley Bay in Antarctica.

Tom, needless to say had lots of research students, and these
students have wandered off to the four corners of the world - Jack
Baggaley is about as far away as you can get, in Christchurch, New
Zealand.
Tom had a seminal influence on the development of space physics in
Britain and guided many, many students through the postgraduate period.

Tom often spoke of his "two-dimensional empire" but it was pride in his
students' achievements and their global diversity that he expressed rather
than an emphasis on the possessive, "his".

To we research students Tom's character, his concern for the
underprivileged, his lack of any pomposity or concern for rank and his
directness was an example to us all.

As a student Tom introduced me to the world of the science research
organisations. On several occasions he took me along with him on his
organisational visits to places like London and Cambridge. I realised
later of course that Tom was acquainting me (and I'm sure other students)
with the personalities and committee people and sources of funding in
order to prepare me for future science politics.

Tom's very genuine, warm-hearted treament of we students as friends and
colleagues rather than as a mentor was an important part of our early
careers. On several occasions Tom would acquire a barrel of beer and
sandwiches and gather us together for an evening. Tom had no presence
and was quite open about revealing some aspect of himself that many more
formal or more secretive individuals would view as a weakness. He had
the ability to put people at ease and to bring out the best in everyone;
sociable while being earnest, never flippant or trivial. Although Tom
held strong political views he never allowed his stance to sour his
respect for people holding opposing views or his friendship with others.

Tom served both the Physics Department and the University generally in
many capacities outstandingly during his career. We certainly are forever
in his debt.

Professor Jack Baggaley - University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New
Zealand (former research student)

Unfortunately Professor Bill Galbraith fell off a rock in Derbyshire a
few days ago and broke a leg and although in plaster is still quite fit
so I am going to ask Professor Fred Combley to talk in his stead.
Professor Fred Combley - University of Sheffield

Before I read Bill's words I would first like to just account how I first
heard about Tom. I came to this department and I was given the task of
doing third year tutorials and asked some students how they were getting
on, how was to-day's lecture and they said "Oh we had Professor Kaiser
to-day - he forgot his notes but he gave us a brilliant lecture" and I
think that encapsulated an impression of Tom which was reinforced as I
went through my career here in the department.

Now I am not Tom Kaiser! I have my notes here from Bill Galbraith and
I am going to read his message on this occasion.

In paying homage to Tom Kaiser's memory by these few words on this
Celebratory Memorial Occasion, my first acquaintance that such a man
existed was on my turning up in the Physics Department in May 1966 to
attend an interview for a new Chair of Physics which had been advertised
in the Press. At that time, unbeknown to me was the fact that there was
already in the Department, a well-qualified candidate for a Chair, and
he and I were being interviewed on the same day for the one Chair. The
intervening 32 years dims my memory of how Tom or I felt on that day,
but I do recall that by the deft juggling of Alex Currie and George
Bacon, I did not meet Tom on that very important occasion for both of
us. The VC, Norrie Robson, kept us both happy. Tom got the advertised
Chair, and I was also offered another new chair' once the paperwork
was arranged. In fact Faculty, Senate and Council all approved rapidly,
and Tom and I were in post for Session 1966-67.

We occupied adjacent offices in the adjacent 'wing' of the Hicks
Building. 'So Neighbours, all you need is Good Neighbours', and I can
certainly say Tom was that, particularly when he might come into my
room reeking of cigar smoke but NOT actually smoking. I guess my room
may well have been the first NO SMOKING zone in the University.

Others closer to his particular research disciplines, a radio astronomer
of outstanding credentials, will be better fitted than me to laud his
scientific achievements. David Hughes in his excellent Times Obituary gave
a moving and informative account of this man, who to some was an enigma,
awkward, argumentative, hind-legs-off-a-donkey standard. To others he
was a warm hearted and sensitive colleague, who fell over backwards to
see justice was done to staff and students alike, who might have some
grounds for some grievance or other. His political background was not
appreciated in Australia nor, I would imagine, was it in Jodrell Bank,
but fortunately he came here and set up a distinguished Space Physics
Group. And later he proposed an Astronomy Course for Undergraduates,
with which I was also involved. This course led essentially to a later
change in our Departments name, and in keeping with present fashion in
other places we are the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Tom was a very professional Physicist, which overcame any feeling of
his being a bit of a maverick. Although protesting that writing out
draft solutions to exam questions was a waste of time (which Institute,
I wonder, installed that idea in him?) he always came round in the
end and toed the line. His "quickies" were original and probing of
physics and left you wishing you had thought of it. A tough Australian
exterior concealed a soft and warm interior only exposed by further
acquaintance. Scratch Tom Kaiser and you found a gentle, sensitive heart.

Some years ago he was instrumental, along with Roy Moffett in Mathematics,
in bringing the Sazhin family to Sheffield, and I know personally how
much they felt indebted to Tom and Roy in giving them new hope and life,
after a sad life in Leningrad in the 80's. That family are now settled
in Sussex in the University of Brighton, and all thanks are due, in long
measure to Tom's lifelong belief in Socialism and the Brotherhood of Man.

He was very proud of the achievements of his family and their great
support to him in the recent years. There are few people now-a-days one
might call "characters" in the University and he may well be one of the
last of this academic breed.

I for one miss him, and say, in ending, to his family, you were lucky to
have such a man as your head-of-house. He would be the first to tell me
I was wrong exaggerating his qualities, but I know they were not fully
appreciated around the University, as indeed they should have been.

Professor Bill Galbraith - University of Sheffield

I would like to add a personal coda. As someone who grew up in the
department, learning the trade as an academic, I have to say that Tom
was an outstanding comrade and a great example. Thank you.
Dr Dennis Walsh, University of Manchester, Jodrell Bank

The last time I was in this room was four years ago for the presentation
of the Gold Medal to Tom a very happy occasion. I think to-day also
should be a happy occasion because Tom was not a man who would want
you to go to great ceremony for him. I have known him for 48 years. By
coincidence we both arrived at the University of Manchester at the
same time, he as a postdoc fellow, I as a young, timid, rather scared
undergraduate. He turned out, by happy accident, to be my tutor in my
first year there. Many things have been said already and I can only repeat
some of them because there aren't enough words in the English language
to say all that one would like to. I do remember that, as a tutor, he
was very kind and gentle with students. He did not let any slip occur in
academic rigour but he always helped, he had an inspiring way of dealing
with problems. Students eyes were opened to deeper physics when he went
through a solution. He usually made sure that you had had a pretty good
go at it yourself and that you had bashed your brains out before he would
show you how it was best done. He was an excellent tutor. I must have had
tutors for my second and third year but I can't remember anything about
them, Tom I remember vividly. Later in my undergraduate career I met
him in labs and had a few lectures from him. This was during the days of
Blackett in the 1950s. Manchester Physics Department was a really exciting
place to be. There were many people there who subsequently went on to be
distinguished, too many to name. Tom of course was one of them. Blackett
had been awarded a Nobel Prize two years before so there was still a buzz
around the place from that. I can say that having heard lectures from
both of them, I preferred being lectured to by Tom. After I graduated
in 1953 I went to Jodrell Bank as a graduate student - it would be an
exaggeration to say that I did this because Tom was there but certainly
I had been given encouragement in that direction by him. I already knew
Tom, many other students who were arriving didn't, but pretty soon got
to know him. Tom had a natural ease and rapport with students. I don't
think Tom ever stopped being a student - that was basically it. Although
students worked in many different areas away from Tom's specific area
of interest, they could always talk to Tom about problems with physics
and electronics. Tom was always ready to help and became a sort of guru
to students of my generation at Jodrell Bank. He was very generous. He
also initiated other activities at Jodrell Bank. One that might have
been seen by some as being slightly subversive was that he started some
Russian classes. He suggested this and the students thought this was a
good idea. Russian was obviously something we should know. By accident or
design, Tom reserved a room for us at the George and Dragon in Wilmslow,
and we all went along there and I think other interests rather than
Russian took over once we all got there. I don't think it lasted very
long - a few weeks - but a fair bit of beer was drunk, and not much
Russian was learnt. In 1956 Tom left Jodrell and shortly after arrived
here in Sheffield. I left Jodrell shortly after that and moved on and in
some cases through coincidence and others less so, our paths continued to
cross from then until four years ago. After Jodrell Bank I went off to the
States to do radio astronomy from space vehicles, Tom of course was doing
mainly geophysical work here. So technically we had much in common, but
the astrophysical and physical applications were quite different. We had
had no direct contact for several year, but I was working on theoretical
problems of antennas in magneto-plasma. Tom was also doing something quite
similar here and I did see a paper by him that was very interesting.
I was working on my own approach to the problem. I met Tom in 1963 when we
were both on our way to COSPAR Conference in Warsaw. We met at Manchester
Airport and travelled together and in those days it took three separate
planes to get to Warsaw so a fair bit of beer was drunk as we cruised
across Europe. I talked to him about the work I was doing on antennas
in plasmas and showed him a paper I was presenting at the conference. He
glanced through it on the plane and gave it back to me and said "I wish
I'd thought of doing it that way". It was one of the greatest moments
of my life, I had arrived - Tom Kaiser said that to me. So from then
on it was less 'guru' and 'student' than the association of, I don't
want to say equal, because I wouldn't ever claim to be Tom's equal,
but a relationship between people of equal status. There was one other
incident that I recall on our visit to Warsaw. One evening when there
was no evening programme, he got out a little black book which he said
contained some good numbers. We got a taxi and went across Warsaw to a
rather anonymous, grim looking block of flats. The taxi driver tipped us
out there and we went round knocking on doors because the numbering system
was chaotic. We eventually knocked on the right door and a little, shall
I kindly say a middle-aged lady answered and Tom said "I'm Tom Kaiser
from Sheffield, is Elena here?" When she heard Kaiser and Sheffield,
she brought us in and sat us down and made us understand that Elena was
not there but would be in an hour or so. She switched on the TV and we
watched a Polish western and she disappeared. She came back a little
later with a bottle of wine and eventually Elena arrived. Elena was her
daughter. I'm sure Mrs Kaiser knows who I am talking about. Elena had led
a school party visiting Sheffield from Poland and Tom and his wife had
made contact with them and got to know Elena, so this was returning the
compliment. Elena acted as a guide to us around Warsaw after that. I was
just interested to think that suppose in this country two strange men had
knocked on your door and speaking in a foreign language asked to speak to
your daughter, how many mothers would have entertained them in the way
we were entertained. In the late 1960sI returned to this country from
the United States, and to Jodrell Bank, where I have been ever since.
Tom came over to Jodrell Bank to help interview a student for a PhD and
I came over to Sheffield to do the same here. As an examiner, Tom was,
as you can imagine, really excellent. He helped the student relax, he did
not try any of the under-hand tactics of a seemingly simple question with
a really tricky answer, but he conducted a straightforward examination
from which a student would feel they had benefitted (if the thesis was
up to standard). But there was no relaxing of academic standards. I
was also colloquium secretary at Jodrell Bank in the 1970s and invited
Tom over to give us a colloquium. That was about 20 years after he had
left and I believe it was his first visit back. Now lets move into the
1990s. I was absolutely delighted when he was awarded the Gold Medal of
the RAS four years ago. I was on the RAS Council at the time and I had
the privilege of phoning the news to Tom and I was delighted to be here
and see him receive his award.

Just one postcript I would add, indirectly to do with Tom and that is
that after knowing Tom for 48 years, my relationship, if I may call
it that, with the Kaiser family continues. Tom and I, although we
had some overlap on technical matters, we had been studying different
astronomical and geophysical problems, but Nick, Tom's son, now is working
on gravitational lenses, a subject which has been my main interest over
the last 20 years so I have encountered Nick and hope to encounter the
Kaiser family for some time to come. I think all I can say about Tom
is that it was a great honour to have known him and I am better for it,
and I am sure many other people feel that way too.

Dr Arthur Hughes, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa

Listening to Dennis Walsh reminds me of my own PhD oral with Tom and Owen
Storey. In the course of that oral Tom and Owen Storey got into such
a furious argument about something, that I hardly was examined at all,
and I think this must be the secret of success at PhD orals if you can
manage to swing that one. Tom was a man of whom stories and legends grew
up around and if you are Irish you will know that legends are always
true and that they are only told about significant places and very
significant people. A favourite story of mine was one I heard in South
Africa, where someone told me that Tom, who was Professor of Physics in
Sheffield, was in fact now working as a technician in Australia fixing
radars. It seemed somewhat unlikely, but I learnt the full truth of this
story some time later from Brian Fraser who is Professor of Physics at
Newcastle University. It came about in this way. Tom had wanted to visit
his mother and his sister in Australia and Brian Fraser had got a very
complex radar system that had resisted all efforts to make it work. Tom
had suggested that perhaps he could help. He had a certain amount of
experience in radar, and perhaps he could help to make the wretched thing
work. The only money Brian Fraser had was funds for a vacant technician's
post and so he duly offered this to Tom and Tom worked as a technician
at the University of Newcastle. And within a very short space of time,
I think two weeks, Tom had got that radar up and running very well. It
was on this occasion also, that Brian told me that Tom, (I am sure this
must be confidential, so I will reveal it to you immediately), that Tom
had been turned down on political grounds for a professorship in New
Zealand against all academic opinion and Brian added that in fact he
regarded this as a really great misfortune for radio astronomy and radar
astronomy in New Zealand to this day. That was a very important aspect
of Tom's life; one that we all appreciate. Had Tom been a member of the
Young Conservatives in his youth rather than a member of the Communist
Party his path to success would have been very much easier. If I could
just leave you with the image of Tom Kaiser playing table tennis with
the Young Conservatives - it's a concept that my mind can't begin to
grapple with. Tom has left us, and his family, with wonderful memories
and he will be remembered and talked about at conferences throughout
the world for many, many years to come. Tom Kaiser - we salute you.

Mrs Sue Pearson, family friend

I am feeling humble, and exalted at the same time, because the Torn that
you have all been speaking about here was our very dear friend. He was a
very dear friend for a very long time and I think for families to have
the kind of friendship which we have had from Tom, and have still got
with the family, you are very fortunate indeed. I suppose I can testify
to his lack of 'side', which has been spoken of several times here,
because I had known him for quite a number of years before I knew that
he actually worked in these ivory towers. I knew he had a sharp mind,
because if I ever took the opposite view to his I knew about it, and
knew I had lost the argument before I had started! But I don't believe it
stopped me from trying. When I put myself forward to speak here to-day,
I realised I would have to find a scientific story to allow me to be here
- and I have got one. It is to do with our kids, who grew up side by side
with Tom's kids - even going to the same school. They obviously realised
Tom's great potential before we did. When one of them was about 12 years
old, she had a transistor radio given to her for her birthday, (this is
about 30 years ago when to buy a transistor radio was a 'big deal'). I
have to tell you that I was a humble primary teacher in those days, and
here I was, 'fretting' with this exalted professor and he never made me
feel like that, not for one minute. We had left the children to go out
for the evening in the charge of their 15 year old sister and Helen was
so fond of this radio that she took it to the bathroom with her to have
a bath. She stood it on the side of the bath - and it fell in. What to
do! My younger daughter told me that she just heard her sister screaming;
she didn't have the foresight to fish it out. We lived very close to each
other so, 'I'll take it round to Uncle Tom" and round she ran. He cured
it of course - with a hair dryer and it worked for many years. So Tom,
dear friend, it's not by accident that I am wearing this red jacket,
on your behalf I love the inscription inside your programme that "he
is having a wild time somewhere" and I want to tell you that Pam and I
will endeavour to have a wild time too from time to time. Thank you for
having me.

Dr Alan Rodger, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge

Flexibility is one of the attributes for going to the Antarctic and I
would just like to say a few words about Tom's Antarctic contribution. Let
me say that I am probably the worst person around to give this small
tribute to Tom, because some of the key players who have been involved
in the Antarctic cannot be with us to-day. One of whom is Roy Piggott,
whose tribute you will see inside the programme. Unfortunately his wife
is not too well and he cannot travel. Bill Sloman, another person who
has been very friendly and well known to Tom over 20 or 30 years at
BAS cannot be here either. Another key player is Andy Smith, who was
first employed here in 1971 and Andy is in the Antarctic, so I am a
poor substitute. It was nice to hear the comments about examinations,
because I too was a student who was examined by Tom Kaiser and somebody
called Dennis Walsh actually. Dennis may not even remember doing it. I
remember Tom giving me an absolutely fantastic tutorial in the course
of that exam and I now use it on all prospective students myself. You
have all been very kind to Tom, and I am going to tell you a little
tale that maybe doesn't reflect Tom in quite the same way. It concerns
Andy Smith. Tom was absent from Sheffield in 1971 for a few weeks and
it was a critical few weeks because it was during that time that you
were looking for a physicist to take a new experiment, a VLF experiment,
down to Halley and I believe that Tom was incredibly angry when he came
back because he found that the guy they had employed, Andy Smith, was a
theoretical solid state physicist from Oxford. Tom's comment, succinct
as ever, was "over qualified and technically incompetent".

Sheffield has had a great involvement in the Antarctic for a long time. As
early as 1964 I believe there was a radar sent from Sheffield to look at
auroral back scatter and we heard a little bit about that to-day. That
radar is still actually in Antarctica you may like to know. What happened
was that it was put in a small hut, and with snow accumulation at Halley
it eventually became buried and the snow pressure became so great that
when it came to move the station on to another place, it was unsafe to
go in there. So that hut, and that radar, is still somewhere floating on
an ice shelf somewhere in the Antarctic. When VLF got to the Antarctic,
again it was Sheffield and Tom Kaiser that recognised the importance
of the Antarctic. It was through Ariel III that they wanted ground-based
stations to go to the Antarctic to make complimentary measurements from
the ground as well those from space. Tom realised that Halley was a
unique site, in the sense that it was very low in electromagnetic noise
but also geomagnetically conjugate to North Eastern seaboard states of
America. But I won't bore you with the scientific reasons why that is
important. The next stage was another VLF receiver built in 1971. It was
this that Andy Smith took South. Also a new research programme started
when Ariel IV was launched. That programme has been continuing ever since,
so there has been a steady succession and the continual generation of
lots of people who came to Sheffield to train, and then went to the
Antarctic. We know that Tom was a very practical man. In fact during
his trip south to the Antarctic in 1982, would you believe, the ship's
echo-sounder broke. So it wasn't a radar or a radio that he mended at this
time. Without circuit diagrams and without any manual Tom fixed the radio
echo-sounder so that we could have a safe trip to the Antarctic. However,
there are other things that he did that you probably didn't hear about
on this trip, and some of those are absolutely critical. He actually
saved BAS from perhaps its biggest disaster of all time. What happens
at Halley is that you offload all the cargo onto the sea-ice next door to
the ship, and then you move it from the sea-ice up to the station. Well,
the entire beer supply for the year was offloaded onto the ice and the
ice began to break up and drift out and who was in the vanguard leading
the rescue mission? I don't need to mention any names do I? But let me
say that with true professionalism, not a tin was lost.

Perhaps this is a particularly poignant month because this month in
Geophysics Research Letters, one of the publications of our community,
there is a paper that actually has an analysis of 25 years worth of VLF
measurements at Halley. VLF measurements that were started by Tom and have
been continuing through the succession of people who have passed through
Sheffield. It actually, I think, also reflects yet another dimension of
Tom's work. What this work has been involved in doing, is looking at
even larger global change, by looking at the rate at which lightening
occurs. So not only has Tom contributed to radio echo investigation
out there, his work is now used to monitor lightning variability. The
data sets for which he was initially responsible is now looking into
the changes in global temperature. I encourage you to read this paper
when you have a spare moment.

Enough from the Antarctic. I would just like to say that Tom was
responsible for all of the VLF programme in the Antarctic - it is
continuing from strength to strength. I am not a
member of the group so I think I am allowed to say that it is a world
leading group and it is only through Tom's contribution, guidance,
stimulation that it has become that. He has inspired many generations of
youngsters and some of them, I am delighted to see, are in the audience
to-day. He was a great physicist, a great entertainer in many ways,
a good engineer. He had this unbelievable balance between theory and
experiment - not many people can manage to do that. As far as BAS is
concerned he has got a great legacy, and he is also due a great debt of
gratitude for starting these experiments. Thank you.

Compiled by Mrs E Lycett - December 1998 Department of Physics and
Astronomy The University of Sheffield